Elizabeth Warren: Democratic kingmaker in 2016?

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, champion of left-wing causes, has considerable clout within the Democratic Party base. Speculation about a presidential run has yielded denials from Warren which, if true, means she would be courted by many Democratic candidates wishing for her endorsement blessing.

Report from the Washington Times:

As they gear up for a White House bid, Hillary Rodham Clinton and other Democratic presidential hopefuls may be looking over their left shoulder for a key stamp of approval from the party’s new progressive standard-bearer.

Political analysts say Sen. Elizabeth Warren holds considerable sway among the party’s liberal base, and an endorsement from the Massachusetts Democrat could go a long way toward energizing the core bloc of voters needed to secure the Democratic nomination in 2016.

…

During a recent interview with Salon, she had sharp words for President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden, charging that the administration has “protected Wall Street” at the expense of middle-class families. Those comments would seem to indicate Ms. Warren isn’t eager to lend her support to Mr. Biden, at least not during the primary process.

If Ms. Warren wades into the primary battle, specialists say an endorsement could be especially valuable in the weeks leading up to the Iowa caucuses, where progressive Democrats make up a significant part of the electorate.

Warren has been much more closely aligned with President Obama on issues such as the government’s role in the economy and social justice, two important Democratic bread and butter issues. However, as noted, Warren has diverged with the President in some cases sticking to her true beliefs about economic prosperity and claims that this administration has been too cozy with Wall Street. Hence, an endorsement of Joe Biden may be out of the question.

That being said, could an endorsement from Elizabeth Warren help propel a lower tier candidate into the forefront against Hillary Clinton? I’d ponder whether Warren could endorse Clinton but many of Warren’s supporters would consider that selling out, I presume.